And When It Rains
by Star Slightly To The Right
Summary: He watched her become more beautiful, and paler.


**…**

**…**

She died on a rainy day.

The driver hadn't seen her, and she didn't scream.

And people would yell,

_(don't die, Inoue!_

_don't die!)_

She stopped breathing in the ambulance.

**…**

**…**

It was his first day at school, and he was a high school student now. It was time to grow up, as his father had said, and time to take more responsibilities. It wasn't hard, not to him.

Sighing, he threw his bag over his shoulder, and continued to walk, but not until he spotted a small figure a few feet away.

Her hair blew in the wind, and pink petals of cherry blossoms stuck in her locks. Turning, he was able to see her face. She was very pretty; small, pink lips, long, amber hair, and a delicate frame. Her eyes were big, oh so very large, and easy to get lost in. She appeared frail, too small for her uniform, the long-sleeved shirt too long for her arms, and heavy for her frame.

Suddenly, as he watched her curiously, she walked towards him, her wide eyes shining, and smiled, brilliantly, and widely, the sun beaming down on her.

Thrusting out her small hands, he was surprised to see a heart in her palms, pink and made from paper by skilled fingers,

"If…" Her voice was quiet, and small, but his ears rung like she'd yelled at him, "you don't mind…W-Would you be my friend?"

_(and the petals_

_floated around them)_

**…**

**…**

Keigo laughed, tossing his hands behind his head, and followed Ichigo down the hallway, "But you know, this is typical! The lunch isn't so good here! We should go out to eat…"

Mizuiro kept his gaze on his cell phone, "I guess. I'm broke though."

"As am I." Ishida nodded, pushing up his glasses.

"What about you, Ichigo?" All three boy turned their eyes to the orange haired in question.

He wasn't listening. Leaning toward the window, he found her sitting by the old tree next to the school, eating with no one else around, the wind blowing through her long, oh so very long hair.

Pale and pretty, like a doll, a glass china doll.

Before he knew it, he was outside.

**…**

**…**

"Why're you eating alone?"

She blinked at her bento, "Are you talking to me, lunch-san?"

Ichigo scowled down at her, tucking his hands in his pockets, "Oi," Her gaze shot up to him, and the eyes widened, "_I_ was talking to you."

Again, she blinked, "Ah. Kurosaki-kun…"

His chest tightened.

"Why're you eating alone?" He repeated, going to sit next to her. When he did, he studied her face. There was no warmth radiating from her; and with her thin skin, he should've seen some kind of blush, but she was as pale as paper.

"Because no one wants to eat with me."

"What do you mean?"

She lowered her eyes to her lap, "No one sees me."

Ichigo blinked. Again, he found himself focusing on her looks, and her breathy, wispy voice. Such red hair, and such pretty looks, with ghostly pale skin.

She looked over at him, and smiled a bit, bright. The heart inside his pocket seemed to grow.

"Don't you have friends?"

She blinked once more, "No."

"Why?"

She stood, and just as a short, young girl walked up, Orihime exclaimed as she pulled another heart from behind her back, "Please be my friend!"

And the girl walked past her.

Orihime stood there for a second, and dropped her arms.

_Her eyes. _

Ichigo scowled.

"See?" Orihime turned her head to him, smiling a bit.

"That was rude."

"No," she shook her pretty head, "It's natural." She sat back beside him, and bit into her rice ball, "I'm used to it now."

His scowl deepened.

"Oi! Ichigo!" Keigo and the others rushed over to him. Standing with one hand in his pocket, he said,

"Yo."

"Class is about to start. What're you doing out here?"

"Having lunch."

Keigo frowned, and Mizuiro looked up from his cell phone before replying, " By yourself?"

Ichigo turned his head.

_She was gone. _

Oh so very gone.

**…**

**…**

As Ichigo packed his things, he stuffed them in his bag, and looked around the empty hallways. As he slouched, walking, he passed by some other freshmen, and heard a gist of their conversation.

"Did you hear? The students started freaking out."

"About what?"

"Some ghost. I heard she got hit by a car, and she roams the school."

"Haha! That's stupid."

"Yeah."

And Ichigo thought of Orihime.

So pale and bright and _delicate_.

**…**

**…**

"Ichigo?"

Said man turned his head, as he leaned casually against the wall, watching the rain fall outside. Rukia stood beside him, her violet eyes curious, the air conditioning above her causing the short, black locks to shuffle around her small shoulders.

He listened to the rain.

_Drip, drop, drip._

Crossing her slim arms over her chest, the Student President asked, "What're you doing out here? Third period already started, stupid."

"I know," Ichigo said, "It sounded boring, some kind of lecture."

She shook her head, "Go to class." Just as she walked forward, she collided with another girl.

_Drip, drop, drip._

Orihime stumbled back a bit, and then smiled brightly, "H-Hello."

Rukia frowned lightly, and dusted her clothes, for she had fallen. Standing, she acknowledged the pretty girl, oh so very pretty, and she had never met her before, "Are you skipping class also?"

_Drip, drop, drip._

"N-No!" Orihime waved her hands around her frantically, "I-I'm just going to the restroom." Digging her in school bag, she pulled out a heart, akin to Ichigo's, "Would you mind being my friend?"

Rukia blinked, and took the gift, "What's this?"

Orihime continued to smile, "A bribe. I wish for you to be my friend."

Rukia slanted her a confused, weary look, but her lips twitched slightly with a rare smile, "Fine. Just get to class."

They both watched as her hair swished around, like a cape, and she hurried away, her arms spread out, as though she was flying through the dark clouds of the sky.

The rain continued to fall.

_Drip_, _drop_, _drip_.

**…**

**…**

_Crying_.

She's _crying_.

He had been heading towards his classroom, when he saw her in the hallway, arms stuck out with a heart, her head low, jabbing at people.

They kept walking as if she was _not_ there.

And she _cried_.

Long fiery hair, and delicate.

And she _cried_.

_Drip. Drop. Drip._

Placing a hand on her head, he smoothed it over her soft tresses. Curiously, she looked up at him with her wide, watery, honey eyes.

"What's this hand for?"

"Nothing."

**…**

**…**

"I'm telling you! I SAW HER! The ghost is REAL!"

Ichigo continued to ignore Keigo, watching the clean sky from the window.

Ishida pushed up his glasses, "Don't be such a nuisance. There's no such thing."

And Ichigo thinks

_(fine, amber hair_

_and bright smiles)_

**…**

**…**

Ichigo sat on the stairwell, and she was beside him, pretty and perfect and pale. He had given her his juice box when he found her crying on the steps.

She seemed _better_.

"But I'm glad," she'd whispered, "that you're my friend."

"Yeah," he'd grunted back.

**…**

**…**

"Wanna go get lunch?"

Ichigo looked up curiously to see Rukia standing over him, as he sat, perched at his desk. Orihime sat in front of him, right on the ledge of the window, and he'd always wondered how she could do _that_.

"Yeah, sure," he stood, and Orihime looked towards her lap. "Can Inoue come?"

Rukia blinked, "Who?"

Ichigo also blinked, and looked towards the redhead, "Inoue Orihime. She gave you that heart the other day."

Rukia's slim eyebrows furrowed, "A heart? What heart?"

Ichigo looked towards Orihime, hoping for her to say something, but she kept her eyes down.

Rukia's frown deepened, "Quit being an idiot. C'mon," gripping his sleeve, she pulled him away from the pale girl.

Ichigo didn't noticed that Rukia hadn't even acknowledged Orihime's presence.

Outside, the rain started.

**…**

**…**

She had small hands, he'd begun to realize, as she stood by the entrance, hoping to achieve another friend. No one paid her any mind, and he stayed by her side, keeping a hand on her delicate shoulder.

He did not notice when she faded away for a second, before becoming full once more.

But he did notice that she was _ghostly_ pale.

**…**

**…**

"Don't you ever get tired of doing this?" He asked one day as he walked her home.

She paused in her step, and beamed at him, the brilliance setting him off, "No."

_She's waiting…_

For some reason, his chest tightened, and his legs felt weak. Reaching out, he touched his fingers against hers, and she smiled wider as her palm touched his, and their hands intertwined like vines.

"But I'm glad," she whispered, "I'm glad Kurosaki-kun will stay my friend."

**…**

**…**

As they come closer towards the street, she stopped by a flower. It was a vase, with a daisy, and inside the glass were two periwinkle barrettes. It was perched by a light pole, and _RIP_ engraved onto the steel.

Ichigo stopped with her, and frowned, "It's sad."

"Un," She nodded vigorously, smiling once more, "But it's okay. I'm sure she's happy."

And the clouds came together once more.

**…**

**…**

"The ghost, she has red hair," Keigo said out of nowhere one morning. Ichigo sat at his desk, peering out the window as Chad hummed, and Ishida ignored. Tatsuki and Mizuiro seemed to be the only ones listening now.

But as Keigo spoke, Ichigo was surprised to see a heart in his hands, pink and delicate and paper, "Where'd you get that?" Ichigo asked.

Keigo frowned, curious, toying with it in his hands, "I don't know. I found it in my room," he laughed, "Weird, huh?"

Rukia took it from him, and narrowed her eyes, "Yeah, I guess."

Ichigo thought he saw something in her violet gaze, but it was soon gone the next second, "You should probably throw it away."

In his own heart, he found it splitting.

**…**

**…**

As the wind blew, her hair cascaded everywhere, around her shoulders, over her cheeks, and into his face. He doesn't mind, for he likes her smell.

"Ne, it sure does rain a lot," Orihime whispered.

"You don't like the rain?"

"I _love_ it!"

A few moments of silence caused Ichigo to think, _She's pale, and she_ smiles.

And he asked, "Why do you smile, even when no one notices it?"

And she smiled again, but she didn't answer the question for a few minutes.

Finally, she said, "You do. And that's enough."

**…**

**…**

"Hey, Rukia!"

Said petite girl turned to see Ichigo, "What is it?"

"Have you seen…?" He trailed off, and then blinked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Rukia crooked her brows, "Who?"

Again, he frowned, "I…I don't know." Shaking his head, he sighed, "It'll come back to me, I'm sure."

"Yeah," She snorted, "scatterbrain."

"W-WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

**...**

**…**

_What was it?_

_Who was it?_

_That I'm supposed to remember…?_

Ichigo stood on the sidewalk, and dug into his pocket, and frowned when he felt something crush under the weight of his palm. Yanking his hand out, he found some kind of crunched pink, paper.

His eyes widened with recognition, "Inoue!"

Orihime's eyes opened, "Yes?" She chirped from beside him.

Instantly, he turned to face her, "Jeez, I can't believe I forgot."

Orihime blinked, "Eeeh? I've been here the entire time."

Ichigo's jaw clenched, "…"

Her eyes softened, "Ne, Kurosaki-kun, did you forget me?"

Immediately, he said, "_no_", but she saw through it, and smiled happily.

"It's okay," She replied, "Sometimes it's _okay_ to _forget_ me."

"…"

"Will you still be my friend?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I will."

"I'm glad."

_(her smile_

_is the sun)_

**…**

**…**

Since who knows how long, there has been the rumor of a girl running the halls, and asking for your friendship.

So small, and so very beautiful, with long, perfect hair.

And then there's,

_(don't die, Inoue!_

_don't die!)_

No one really knew which one was true.

**…**

**…**

Their friendship was easy, Ichigo had realized.

It was easy to be around her, and laugh with her, and smile with her, and listen to her, and help her.

Sometimes he was glad that he was her only friend.

He was selfish like that.

And all the time, she would say, "I'm glad."

He watched her become more beautiful, and _paler_.

**…**

**…**

"I wish someone would love me," she'd whispered one day, leaning onto him under the black umbrella. He didn't bother looking at her, for he knew he would do something he'd regret.

"Why?" He asked.

She smiled, and breathed in his jacket, "I would love them, a lot, and it would make me happy. We would never be separated, and I would love him forever. Five lifetimes and more."

"I see."

"Do you?"

**…**

**…**

Their easy time ended on a Wednesday.

It was raining.

_Drip, drop, drip._

Ichigo walked into his classroom, bag slung over his shoulder, and he took the liberty of inviting Orihime to eat lunch with him in the classroom. As they sat, Ichigo brought of the topic, _why do you let people forget you?_

She smiled again, "I'm a very forgetful person."

He wanted to tell her she wasn't, but her smile widened, and he wished for it to stay that way.

Keigo, Renji, and Rukia came into the room, bickering, and loud.

Ichigo called to them, "Yo, come eat, with us, yeah?"

Rukia and Renji sat down at their assigned desks, and Keigo grinned, hurrying over. Orihime lowered her eyes to her skirt.

Ichigo waited, and waited, but no one said a word, just ate.

Scowling, he said, "Aren't you going to say hi to her?"

Rukia blinked, and stopped chewing her omelet, "Who?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, and he felt the anger fill his stomach. This was getting on his last nerves, "Inoue. Say hi to her."

Renji swallowed down his food, "What're you talking about, punk?"

Ichigo growled, "I'm _talking_ about Inoue!" He gestured his chopsticks at her, almost poking her in the forehead, "_Her_!"

Renji and Keigo looked over to where he was pointing, and grimaced before Rukia snapped, "Is this some kind of joke?"

"That's my line," Ichigo retorted harshly.

"You're weird," Keigo whined.

"Stop pointing at the air, Ichigo," Renji scolded jokingly.

"She's _not_ the air!" He snapped back, "It's _Inoue_!"

"Stop kidding around," Rukia said, her eyes narrowing, "I don't know who're talking about!"

"None of us do," Renji put in.

Keigo continued to eat.

Grasping her delicate shoulder, Ichigo shook her, "_This_ is Inoue!"

Renji, again, blinked, "Who?"

_"Her!"_

Rukia's face suddenly softened, "Ichigo," she paused, swallowing, "Who're you talking about?"

"Yeah," Renji glowered, "_No one's_ there."

Ichigo's eyes widened, and he looked towards Orihime, only to find her _gone_.

_Drip, drop, drip._

**…**

**…**

_Am I insane?_

He asked himself as he walked down the sidewalk.

_No._

He wasn't, he was sure. He had _touched_ her, and _saw_ her, and _spoke_ with her.

Again, he recalled Keigo's words, _"I'm telling you! I SAW HER! The ghost is REAL!"_

Kneeling down, he paused by the grave, the pole where the car had crashed, and brushed away the debris and weeds, and read it aloud,

"Inoue Orihime,"

**…**

**…**

"Did you forget me again, Kurosaki-kun?"

The air _collapsed_ from his lungs.

He clutched her tighter, kissing her lips, deeper and _deeper_, desperate for the taste of her. Her hair was silky, and her cheeks were smooth. Caressing her this way was the only way to prove to himself that she was _real_, oh so very _real_.

As he pulled away, just to let her breathe, because she kept mumbling against his lips, he felt her body against his slip, and _fade_.

Unable to let go, he kissed her again, braiding his fingers in her thick tresses, burying himself deep inside her mouth.

She's_ fading_.

"Because," she breathed as he kissed down her slender neck, "if Kurosaki-kun forgets me, I'll have to go."

He did not reply, and sealed his lips over hers.

It was _stifling_.

He could not _breathe_.

His head, it was aching, _pounding_.

And she was _fading_.

"Don't leave me," he breathed hotly against her lips.

Orihime smiled again, and gripped his shirt in her small, transparent hands.

"But you have forgotten. You have forgotten _me_—"

"_No_," he groaned, fisting her hair, forcing her back to him, "I _haven't_. I _won't_."

Again, she continued to smile, beam really, and she _blinded_ him,

"Ne, Kurosaki-kun is really stubborn,"

He smothered her with another kiss, and nipped at her lips, panting against her cheek,

"Really, _really_ stubborn…"

Her feet began to slowly disintegrate, blowing into little _nothings_, and then her long, bare legs, and her hips, and Ichigo continued to hold on, forcing to hold her waist, and then her neck when it vanished too. And as that was gone, he caressed her feminine jaw, and when that was gone, her cheeks, oh so very smooth cheeks, and her hair, and it shortened, and receded, until he was just looking into her ghostly, smiling eyes.

He fell to his knees, and watched as the sun gloomed over, the clouds preparing.

Transparent, and delicate, and holding the heart in her bosom, she smiled, "I said it was _okay_," Orihime whispered, the rain falling _through_ her.

Ichigo felt a raindrop hit his cheek, or maybe it was a tear.

Even her voice is _thin_, and _hollow_, and causing his ears to _ache_.

"I said it was _okay_ if you _forgot_ me. Everyone does. They _live on_, and you _forget_ about the dead girl."

He did not say anything.

And the rain continued.

_Drip, drop, drip._

"It's _okay_,"

"It's _not_," he shook his head, the rain matting his hair, and he wasn't sure if he was crying or not.

"It's _okay_,"

"No, no…" He gripped his head, but the memories were already _fading_.

She smiled as he raised his head, desperately searching her wide, honey eyes,

"It's _okay_, because I won't forget _you_, Kurosaki-kun."

"_No_…"

"I'm glad," she continued, clasping her hands in front of her, the precious, paper heart in her lap, "I'm glad Kurosaki-kun was my friend."

"_No._"

A small, see-through hand touched his face – hovering, really – and she stared into his eyes, "Don't worry. Maybe you'll see me again."

_"Don't leave…" _

"I'm glad."

**…**

**…**

The scene faded from us – viewers_'_ – eyes, and we found ourselves looking towards the heavy rain, and the dark sky.

Rolling back to the main topic, we stared at an empty schoolyard, a teenager propped on the ground, hands and knees, _shaking_, and _sobbing_ as he _washed_ away,

_alone_.

**…**

**…**

The friends all crowded together, laughing and joking around before Rukia frowned lightly.

"Did you hear? Inoue Sora got married last week,"

Renji thought about it for a second, "Really? You mean that guy who's sister died?"

"I heard about it too. She died in the ambulance, a bad car crash or something." Keigo shrugged.

Rukia twirled the pink, paper heart in her hands, staring at it thoughtfully before Ishida asked, "What's that?"

"I found it in my room, like Keigo. I've been trying to figure out why I have it." Studying it carefully, her eyebrows knitted.

"I had one. I threw it away. It made my head hurt," stated Ishida.

"I kept it." Sado grunted.

Ishida sweat-dropped; they all knew he had a thing for cute things.

Renji scratched the back of his head, also thinking, "Yeah, I think Mizuiro had one of those, and I think mine is under my bed. Weird, right?"

"Definitely," Rukia added, frowning once more, "It can't be that important if none of us remember."

"Oh! Did you know the ghost is gone? It's been missing for months now." Said Keigo, grinning.

"Have you even seen it? How do you know if it's gone?" Rukia rolled her eyes,

Sado lifted one big hand, and placed it on his desk, "When you think of the ghost, don't you think of a girl with long, long hair always running around?"

The group turned silent, before Renji grinned, nodding his head, "I can actually see that."

Keigo crunched a fist, his cheeks red and he sparkled, recollecting a shoujo dream, "I bet she's pretty!"

"And how would you know that? It's a ghost. Ghost aren't real." Ishida threw a book at him, and the brunette hit the ground hard.

Keigo rubbed his nose, and rivers of blue tears fell from his eyes, "Geez, that hurt!"

Rukia spoke up, "And also, there seems to be a new student, you guys. Make her feel welcome, ne?"

Ishida slowly moved his eyes to the desk beside him, "Hey, where's Kurosaki?"

**…**

**…**

Ichigo jogged through the cherry blossom trees, the petals flying around him, over his head and sticking to his clothes.

Scowling, he thought, _I'm late…_

He was used to being late, but he had slept in, due to his weird dream. A dream of a girl, so _beautiful_ and _happy_ and _carefree_. And her skin pale and her hair long and, oh so very pretty.

He couldn't help but feel the familiarity of her.

Dismissing the fact, he shook his head, and continued to run. When he finally made it past the streets, and back into the cherry blossom trees, and caught sight of the school, he decided to slow down. Rukia would probably throw a shoe at him as soon as he got inside the class, and he'd hoped he would have enough time to dodge it.

And then he paused, for he saw the figure a few feet away.

"Oi," he called, "if you're looking for the school, it's just up ahe…" He trailed off, his voice going lower as she turned to look at him.

Her hair blew in the wind, and pink petals of cherry blossoms stuck in her locks. At this point, he was able to see her face. She was very pretty; small, pink lips, long, amber hair, and a delicate frame. Her eyes were big, oh so very large, and easy to get lost in. She appeared frail, too small for her uniform, the long-sleeved shirt too long for her arms, and heavy for her frame.

So _familiar_.

He watched as a beautiful blush colored her face, and she nervously played with her short skirt. Moving forward, he came to stand next to her, and allowed the smell to waft into his nose; lavender.

She stood there, staring up at him with wide eyes.

He blinked, shaking himself from his peculiar thoughts.

And he was quite shocked when she huffed, and looked up at him determinedly before turning towards him fully, giving him a view of her front, long legs and bountiful chest. Her hair fell around her back like a waterfall, and her movements were a bit clumsy.

He opened his mouth to ask, _have we met before_, but she beat him to it.

Thrusting out her small hands, he was surprised to see a heart in her palms, pink and made from paper by skilled fingers,

"If…" Her voice was quiet, and small, but his ears rung like she'd yelled at him, "you don't mind…W-Would you be my friend?"

**…**

**…**

_(and the five lifetimes_

_began)_

**…**

**…**

**YAY! I finished. I hope you liked it. This story made me laugh, and cry, and smile, even though I wrote it. I might just be over emotional, I'm not sure, but it felt good writing it. I did get this idea from Fuko, from Clannad, I just wanted to add my own details, and make it into my own story, because I cried so much when I watched the episode.**

**Oh yeah, I just wanted to revise it since it had a few errors and so many people seemed to like it. Thanks for the reviews and support, you guys, I never thought people would think it was this good.**

**Please review, it will bright up my day.**

**-Star**


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